The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has opted to appoint an expatriate Technical Adviser to supervise the Super Eagles while retaining Finidi George as head coach.
The decision comes ahead of the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers and the remainder of the 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
The decision was contained in a communiqué made available to newsmen on Thursday.
According to the communiqué, the Executive Committee of NFF held a meeting on Wednesday, to deliberate on important issues.
“The Executive Committee wholeheartedly apologised to Nigerians for the dismal output and subsequent very poor returns of the Senior Men National Team, Super Eagles, in four out of 10 matches in the ongoing qualification series for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals,” the communiqué partly read.
“They assured Nigerians that they will put necessary measures in place to ensure a better-prepared squad ahead of the AFCON 2025 qualifiers in September and the resumption of the World Cup qualifiers.
“The Executive Committee resolved to employ an expatriate Technical Adviser for the Super Eagles in the coming weeks, ahead of the AFCON qualifiers and the remaining FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.”
Finidi was appointed as the substantive head coach by the NFF in April. Before taking on this role, the former international served as an assistant to Jose Peseiro, whose contract expired in February.
However, Finidi’s tenure has been disappointing. As interim coach, he led Nigeria to a victory over Ghana and a loss to Mali in friendly internationals, before a draw against South Africa, and a loss to Benin in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers.
The defeat to Benin has Nigeria in a precarious position in the World Cup qualifiers. After four rounds of qualifying matches, the Super Eagles have just three points from a possible 12 with six rounds of matches to go.
To rectify the situation, it is expected that the NFF will consult with Sports Minister Owan Enoh to select a new technical adviser.
The NFF is considering appointing a foreigner with more coaching experience to oversee Finidi’s work.
